FEMA: El Niño Increases Flooding, Landslide Risk In California

A message from Cal Fire, with the Butte Fire burning in the distance on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015.

Cal Fire PIO Berlant / Twitter

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released its disaster plan on how it will respond to El Niño weather conditions along the West Coast and in the Southwest this winter.

The warming of the Pacific Ocean could bring storms triggering flooding, power outages and landslides.

The FEMA plan lays out specific guidelines for federal, state, local and tribal agencies to follow in coordinating their response. It also emphasizes the coordination of search, rescue and evacuation efforts among emergency agencies.

Ed Joyce is a former reporter and All Things Considered news anchor at Capital Public Radio. Ed is a veteran journalist with experience in a variety of news positions across all media platforms, including radio, television, web and print. Read Full Bio